


My Hands Speak Only for You

by MetalandMagic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, American Sign Language, Clexa, Cute, Deaf Character, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Girls Kissing Girls, Short One Shot, Valentine's Day, possible ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 10:19:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6002218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalandMagic/pseuds/MetalandMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Fic--Clarke and Lexa have been dating for several months now and Clarke has been learning sign language for Lexa, who is mostly deaf. Now Clarke is ready to tell Lexa how she really feels without saying a thing. Very cheesy, but what do you expect from a VDay fic? A Valentine's Day gift fic</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Hands Speak Only for You

My Hands Speak Only for You  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For the past two weeks, it has been the same routine. Get up early around 6am, shower, dress, put on my face with some moisturizer, a BB cream to even my skin tone and some light dusting of rouge across my cheeks.

It is close to 6:45 or 7:00 in the morning by now. I pull up my desk chair to my small vanity mirror and I sit and practice. While the maneuvers are simple enough, I was not going to take the risk of messing it up. 

As I practice, in my mind’s eye—I visualize the scenario. How I would want it to happen at least. This helped me get over my jitters too. I imagine myself performing the movements precisely, confidently—without stumbling.

As I repeated the movements, I took notice how smooth my gestures now were, compared to how they were when I first started practicing. I gave myself a little smile, admittedly my stomach beginning to feel less knotted as I completed the actions one last time.  
I look at my wrist. My watch read 8:15am.  
I did not realize how long I was sitting in front of my mirror. I gave out a long breath from deep in my diaphragm, my stomach feeling tight again.

{8:22am} My watch blinked at me. 

I reached for my brown satchel that I always left at the door, walked out, locked the door with a loud click and headed towards the stairs, since the old elevator gave me the creeps. Lexa thought it was silly, but obliged me by walking up the stairs too whenever she came over.  
I detangled my hair with my fingers, smoothing out knots I may find—braiding a lose pattern on the side of my head as I quickly walked down the staircase to reach the exit of my apartment. The small braid bounced proudly against my ear as the rest of my dirty blonde hair was loose, curling slightly towards the ends. Lexa likes the loose curls and braids bohemian look. She herself would also have multiple braids blooming from the top of her head and down her neck, intermingle with the loose strands of her thick chestnut hair.  
I shouldered my satchel again into a more comfortable position. 

I briskly walked to the bus stop and hopped onto the 8:35 to Historic Downtown. I sit next to a window and use the weak reflection of the glass to practice three more times. My boots tapped the floor in time with my hands, I noticed.

{8:52am}

The bus came to a halt at my stop and I leapt out the bus from the lowest step and headed towards the small bakery Lexa and I frequent on our days off from our jobs or school.  
I made it to the bakery and saw Lexa already sitting at a booth in the corner. Two scones, several packets of some jam, two cups of coffee on the table. Her head was up, looking at the door, waiting for me most likely. She gave a small wave as I headed towards her.  
I sat down. 

Lexa quickly signed.  
[Good morning]  
Her hands smoothly coming together in a downwards, then upwards motion, her arm swooping under her left hand.  
[Good morning, Lexa]  
She smiled and nodded.  
[You are getting better] She signed slower this time for my benefit.  
[Thank you] My right hand came to my chin and swooped down again.  
[I got you breakfast]  
[It looks good] I took a huge bite out of the scone. The warm and flaky crust crunching in my mouth.  
Lexa took a sip of her coffee and tapped on the table to get my attention again. She mouthed the words this time as she signed.  
[Did you miss me?]  
I swallowed what was left in my mouth.  
[Yeah. Too much homework time. Not enough Lexa time.] Lexa laughed, her head thrown back. 

This time she spoke in her lightly slurred speech, “You sign very cutely.” Lexa was mostly deaf in her left ear and completely in her right, a condition that didn’t make itself noticed until she was nearly 2, while she preferred signing, I loved hearing her voice too. Whenever I struggled with my signs she would speak and correct me. I admit that my hands get tired, but I knew she was proud of me learning so quickly.

“I’m still learning, haha!”

[I know. I am proud of you, Clarke.]  
[I practice a lot. My hands get…get….]  
[Tired] Lexa signed. Her hands tapping her chest, then allowing her arms to flop down, “tired.”  
I mimicked her. [Tired] 

We both laughed and continued our light breakfast of coffee and scones.

I was getting nervous again. My stomach was balling up and my legs bouncing up and down under the table. I let out a breath and stood, Lexa looked quizzically at my sudden movement. I slid into Lexa’s side of the booth, our knees touching in the small area. I was thankful that Lexa chose the booth in the back corner. The high booth walls allowed us some moderate privacy from staff and customers.  
“Lexa..” I began. Looking into her eyes, still somewhat confused. But I could see her bite her lip in the corner, another nervous habit she had, along with fiddling with her hearing aid. 

“Clarke?”

Without thinking I kissed her forehead, and sat back. “I…I want to tell you—that is, show you, what I have been practicing—for you.” My jaw tensed, my heart beating out a tribal tune in my ribcage. Oh God, it’s too late to back out. Come on, Clarke. For Lexa, for Lexa, for both of us.  
Lexa nodded and gave the sign to go ahead. I can see the edges of her mouth upturning weakly, in a cute manner.

I raised my hands in front of us.  
My right hand made a small circle, my hands then came together to form a heart around my chest, my left arm became horizontal, while my right raised itself from my left.  
Lexa smiled and let out a laugh while she did the same movements to me. 

[Happy Valentine’s Day]

I can see she was going into sign once more but I stopped her, signaling that I was not finished yet. I repeated the signs from before. 

[Happy Valentine’s Day…]  
Then…

I pointed at myself. My hand was shaking terribly. Can Lexa see me trembling?  
I continued to point at myself, then my arms crossed one another at my chest, then…

I pointed at Lexa. 

[I love you]

There was a gasp from Lexa, then silence. Neither of us had said “I love you” before. But I knew—I KNOW, I love this woman. My braided chestnut hair, butt kicking, woman.  
Lexa.

After what felt like time had stopped forever, it finally regained its composure again. Lexa’s mouth was on mine. Her open lips felt hot and scorching, but still sweet from her heavily sugared coffee. She kissed the corner of my mouth, only to descend fully once more. I felt her hands cup my face along my jawline. 

She pulled away. Her eyes looking glassy and full. I could only sit there in a stupor, drinking in her presence as she signed back to me.  
Her gestures were slow, large and meaningful and she had a huge grin on her face. 

[And I love YOU.]  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note:**

> My first The 100 one-shot fic. I wrote this for my best friend who is a sucker for deaf!character fic and for The 100. CLEXA will be the death of her. 
> 
> I had to do some research on American Sign Language, so if the gestures described are incorrect, please let me know. From what I have learned there are 'shortcut' ways to say "I love you", but I chose the longer way because it seemed more 'meaningful'? Plus Clarke is still learning and I got these gestures from a children's show about ASL called Signing Time on Netflix and YouTube.  
> -Metal


End file.
